Concussion in Sports - What You Need to Know

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The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has released a FREE online course through there website, the course titled:Concussion in Sports - What You Need to Know, is given the following description on the NFHS site:

Sports-related concussion in high school sports can be serious or even lift-threatening situations if not managed correctly. National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have teamed up to provide information and resources to help educate coaches, officials, parents and students on the importance of proper concussion recognition and management in high school sports. Mick Koester M.D., ATC, Chair of the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and Director of the Slocum Sports Concussion in Eugene, Oregon takes you through this course. In this course you will understand the impact sports-related concussion can have on your players, how to recognize a suspected concussion, the proper protocols to manage a suspected concussion, and steps to help your player return to play safely after experiencing a concussion.

As many coaches, parents, and players know concussions at any level and in any sport are a serious and possibly dangerous matter.  According to the CDC (http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/sports/index.html)

• Each year, U.S. emergency departments treat an estimated 135,000 sports- and recreation-related TBIs, including concussions, among children ages 5 to 18. (MMWR July 2007)
• Athletes who have ever had a concussion are at increased risk for another concussion.
• Children and teens are more likely to get a concussion and take longer to recover than adults.

ESPN has done a good job about bringing recognition to the issue of Concussions in Sports with an emphasis on the High School athlete.

• Outside the Lines: High School Concussions
• Outside the Lines: Second Impact Syndrome
• Outside the Lines: Heading for Trouble

There are also many books on this topic:

• Kids and concussions: teens weigh the risk of serious head injury on the playing field.(News Special): An article from: Junior Scholastic
• Is Soccer Bad for Children's Heads?: Summary of the IOM Workshop on Neuropsychological Consequences of Head Impact in Youth Soccer

As a coach myself I feel it is my responsibility to not only continue to educate myself on ways to become a more effective and technical teacher of the game of soccer, it is also my responsibility to be as educated as possible when it comes to the health and well-being of my players.  This includes injury care and prevention as well as learning about the dangers of concussions.

By taking the NFHS free online course: Concussion in Sports - What You Need to Know, I am attempting doing my part to become the most well rounded coach I can be. We owe it to our athletes and their families.

Do you have any first hand experience with Concussions in sports as a player, parent, or coach - leave a comment and let us know about your story: